Reviews

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Please send vinyl (preferred), CD, or cassette releases to MRR, PO Box 3852, Oakland, CA 94609, USA. Maximum Rocknroll wants to review everything that comes out in the world of underground punk rock, hardcore, garage, post-punk, thrash, etc.—no major labels or labels exclusively distributed by major-owned distributors, no reviews of test pressings or promo CDs without final artwork. Please include contact information and let us know where your band is from!

The Klingons 1979 EP

Another day, another short-lived late ’70s UK DIY band getting pushed back into the light. This time, it’s KLINGONS (“of Hildenborough,” as they’re now differentiating themselves), who played a total of five shows, recorded four unreleased demo songs in 1979, and completely flamed out in under a year; the half-life of even the most marginal punk obscurities is unreal. The KLINGONS’ sound was predictably ramshackle and rudimentary, straddling the increasingly shaky fault line between the three-chord first wave of ’77 and the artier, more open-ended approach of turn-of-the-decade post-punk, and clearly indebted to the likes of ALTERNATIVE TV, the PREFECTS, SWELL MAPS, etc. The A-side pairing of “Terminal” and “Cold Love” takes bare-bones DIY amateurism to the extreme, as the drums skitter along in an primitive, unfluctuating thud, the guitar hacks away at halting chords, and the vocals oscillate between monotone rants and an only slightly more lively quiver—if “Action Time Vision” or “Dresden Style” are Brutalist council estate towers as punk songs, the KLINGONS would be a singular concrete slab. On the B-side, the sparse, seasick rhythm of “Influence” takes things into a DOOR AND THE WINDOW/later DESPERATE BICYCLES-ish direction, with “Manners in Trains” going a bit more trad (relatively speaking), not unlike an ultra-shambolic, way inept WARSAW. That’s a lot of names to drop, and the KLINGONS don’t even come close to leveling up to any of them, but if you’ve been thoroughly Messthetics-pilled, here’s a fresh fix.

Knives What We See in Their Eyes LP

Dual female and male vocals with a big post-punk influence. That is not all this is, though: I hear a wide range from bouncy punk to hardcore and even some metallic guitar riffs. Make no mistake though; this isn’t metal, this is closer to post-punk than anything else. Great vibe on the dual vocals with the bass and drums hammering out a punishing, bouncy punk beat, and the guitar is working with everything else despite the fact that it is in contrast to everything else most of the time. In some ways, it reminds me of the TYRADES mixed with a very popular duo from England who play a laptop and sing. This was a really good listen and very interesting—I listened to this four times and every time I heard different things, so I will be listening to this again.

L.A. Drugz Outside Place LP reissue

Guessing that since this is the tenth anniversary edition that I missed this when it came out ten years ago. Six cuts of driving, melodic punk rock meets power pop is the kind of thing I can get behind. Mid-tempo and super catchy, this is easy to like. It’s nicely produced, which results in the vocals not getting buried down below. I’m really reminded of BAD SPORTS in the end, which is not at all a bad thing. The only real negative here is that it took me ten years to find it.

Mala Vista Fun-Time LP

It’s hard to even care about this band. It’s mind-numbingly basic, and not in a good way. It uses tired punk rock clichés until it’s dried up. I’ll give it this though, “Juana La Cubana” is pretty good. It has a nice groove and chorus going for it. Aside from that, I can’t really give this LP that many props. It was so boring the first time I listened through it that I practically forgot it even existed until I had to revisit it for this review. It’s not intolerable, it’s just quite dull and boring to my ears.

No Future Mirror LP

NO FUTURE from Perth has been a band for a while now, honing their music into a raw hardcore/crasher-influenced sound that is full of bass, noise, and rage. If you’ve never heard of NO FUTURE, no worries. The Mirror full-length is a great place to get started, with twelve tracks that are mostly previously released. Between the bass-and-drums overload and the crackling guitar, I’m not really sure which aspect is my favorite, but I will say the vocals are excellent.  “Endless Torture” is a standout track for me. This is a split release between Iron Lung and Televised Suicide, so you know this is a well-produced album with all the charm and hallmarks these two labels are known for.

Planet on a Chain Culture of Death LP

Oakland acid-to-the-veins hardcore punkers deliver twelve blunt force ragers filled with an exquisite anger and precision in the execution of their ball of sound. Fast-paced, urgent, and cathartic vibes in a racket of harsh, nails-and-glass tracks that come like punch after punch. Breakdowns are good abuse, and specifically flawless in taking speedy cadences and momentum. Solid fire record, and a project that’s probably great live.

Pyrex Bozo EP

To define this EP in two words, I would say magnificent chaos. Heavy, distorted vocals/screaming overlay the tight fastcore instruments, while maintaining a bit of a spooky vibe. Specifically, the track “Viper” seems like the type of song that would be playing during a chase scene in a horror movie. I feel like this EP would be great to play if you need motivation to do something and want music to get you excited enough to do it. Overall, I would say that much like their band name, PYREX’s music is sturdy and timeless.

Rider/Horse Matted LP

Bluesy post-punk that melds gritty, locked-in rhythms with swamp water to create a grimy gem. Slide guitars feature on most songs, sometimes as a graceful chirp like on opener “Combing the Horse,” and other times as a haunted spectral warning, like on “Fouled Walls.” Churning underneath the slide is a tight bass/drums groove and a boiling no wave guitar squall that foments a distinctive unease. Corey Plump’s (of SPRAY PAINT) spoken/sung vocals deliver fractured tributes to frustration, pairing perfectly with the band’s sound. Standout track “Bored by the Infinite” features a raw, detuned three-note guitar figure that leads into a group chant vocal. It sounds like wandering into some kind of backwoods secret initiation rite, both spooky and intriguing. Check it out if you like the DRIN or live in a gloomy cabin in the woods where the owls tell you secrets.

The Sheaves A Salve for Institution LP

Parisian label SDZ teams up with the fledgling Brooklyn label Dot Dash Sounds to bring us the second full-length from this five-piece out of Phoenix that shares at least a couple of members with the prolific noise rock outfit SOFT SHOULDER. The LP is composed of eleven two-ish-minute vignettes that can roughly be categorized as DIY post-punk or jangly lo-fi indie rock. You get stuff that sounds like early FALL playing the VELVET UNDERGROUND’s “The Gift,” SWELL MAPS locking into the loosest krautrock groove, some indistinct blend of GBV/BUILT TO SPILL/SEBADOH, or—as with my favorite track on the record (and one of my favorite tracks of the year), “In Center (X-Static)”—a shit-hot mix of, like, CRIME’s “Terminal Boredom” and the extraterrestrial buzz punk of CHROME’s “TV as Eyes.” But the whole record has this sun-bleached and sandblasted quality, like it was recorded after the band was forced to wander the Sonoran Desert for a week. The vocals, which often sound like someone doing a stuffy-nosed Mark E. Smith impression, are so odd and loosely multi-tracked at times that it makes you feel a little delirious. Real strange, but also real great!

Simp Sordid Imprecations Meant for Posterity cassette

“If TED NUGENT had a child who disowned him” has got to be the best band bio I’ve seen in a while. Hailing from the urban sprawl of Washington, this duo-turned-trio of sonic provocateurs has made a name for themselves by blending the visceral energy of old school hardcore with a modern, stompy edge. Eight songs in nine minutes, so you know it is going to be a fest of fast hardcore songs that I would put in the same bag as some of the younger Youth Attack bands. SIMP confronts issues of social injustice, systemic oppression, and the struggles of marginalized communities head-on. Whether you’re a longtime devotee of bands like VOID or seeking to experience the more pit-oriented energy of modern hardcore bands, SIMP has what you need.

Sputa Consume & Be Consumed LP

I’ll be honest, folks. I initially played through the first song at the wrong speed and liked it a lot more than I did when I bumped it up to the correct 45 RPM. Still a decent outing here, though. Hardcore punk with a little hint of thrash, grind, and slam. The singer is the real standout player here—brutal screams carry each of the songs. Seriously great vocals that alone merit a spin of this slab. Also well worth checking out if you’re into this type of crossover.

Take It In Blood Roadmap of Pain 12″

Now, there is perhaps no subgenre in the entire punk lexicon that tends to prove more hit-or-miss to this particular reviewer than that of heavy hardcore—it’s either something I really dig or strongly dislike with very little in between. I am happy to report that Paris-based TAKE IT IN BLOOD falls under the former category. Take notes, tough guys, because this is how it’s done. Being from Paris, the KICKBACK comparisons are inescapable, but there’s also plenty of NEGLECT and the like. The production, the musicianship, the tunes—they’re all spot-on. Basically, I dig it a lot, which is not something I can often say about bands like this!

The Uncouth The Uncouth LP

The UNCOUTH are a melodic punk rock band from Kansas City, Missouri that incorporates elements of street punk and rock’n’roll into their songs. The eleven tracks on this album are predominantly mid-tempo, with layered vocals that feature some harmonies, and a few “whoa oh ohhh”-type flourishes. They could be described as anthemic, but that applies more to the attempt than the outcome. I get a strong sense that I’ve heard these tunes before. The progressions and scales they riff on are worn to the point of fray. That can sometimes be a great thing—like the familiarity of your favorite faded band shirt that is comfortably threadbare. This album is more like the scratchy new shirt that has been manufactured to look old. It’s familiar in the generic sense. The anthems just never quite break through for me. I think a useful reference would be ANTI-FLAG. That’s a band that left a similar impression…a late-stage iteration of something great cut with, I dunno, baking soda? Look, you can try sniffing Elmer’s glue, but what’s the point of that?

We March The Dirty Curty Selections LP

Athens, Ohio’s WE MARCH existed for most of the 2000s, and, during that time, they were one of the most ferocious and exciting bands in America. Not that anyone really gave a fuck, including the band. They knew they were great, but they also reveled in self-sabotage. Sometimes these impulses go hand in hand. But to those who saw them tear up a room, it was hard to shake the fact that you’d seen something meteoric blazing across the sky. They played their rotten little hearts out as singer Zaxon Campus hung from the rafters and bled all over the place. If you were smart, you grabbed one of their self-released CDs, three full-lengths in all. But outside of a pair of 7”s, there wasn’t much WE MARCH wax. WE MARCH didn’t have cool punk labels swooping in to bottle up their desperate punk—pitched perfectly between rural and urban mayhem—for the wider world to get a handle on. A lot of bands go to sleep at night wishing that they could sound like a cross between the STOOGES and NEGATIVE APPROACH, but WE MARCH is the only one who woke up transformed into a take-no-prisoners groove machine (barring EASY ACTION, of course). Hell, WE MARCH even turns WEIRD AL’s DEVO-inspired “Dare to Be Stupid” into a PAGANS-style romp, completing a rare Ohio triple play. By their final album, 2007’s Creator/Destroyer, WE MARCH was still pumping out POISON IDEA-style ragers, but they were also writing songs like “Ethnic Electric,” which starts out like a SUN CITY GIRLS jam before unleashing the full force of the band, and “Soul of the Desert,” an imposing, monolithic cut like the kind DESTRUCTION UNIT would start delving into a few years later. All of these tracks and more are on The Dirty Curty Selections. So who was Dirty Curty? He was band founder (along with singer Zach Fuller) and guitarist Curtis Frey, and he passed away shortly before this long-overdue, well-deserved collection came out. RIP, motherfucker.

Yellow Rain Generation Dead LP

It was just okay. The same way that eating white bread on its own is okay. It’s fine, but it’s nothing that’ll knock your socks off by just how good it is. It feels too familiar. Nothing about their sound feels original or like they’re doing anything fresh with it. At best, they sound like Keith Morris and Fat Mike drunkenly fucked to create an even more drunk hybrid of themselves so that child would go on to front a punk band. It’s not that bad. There were some lyrics I enjoyed, like on “Can’t Touch Me,” but to name the first song off your LP “Lower Than Shit”? That kind of made me side-eye the already hideous LP cover while listening to it. Not a horrible LP, just kind of bland overall.

V/A Disco Charge 2023 CD

This is a compilation of bands from Japan from 2023. The styles are varied and quite different from song to song, and all of them rock pretty hard. My favorites are ASBESTOS, CRIKEY CREW, DEMIGLACE, COALTAR OF THE DEEPERS, ZTOM MOTOYAMA (who breaks up the load and fast music with some nice pedal steel playing, unorthodox for a pedal steel player but that makes it more interesting), and my absolute favorite on this compilation is GENBAHU ONABIES playing hard-driving punk—I’d buy this for that one song, so I will be on the hunt for more records by them.

Arsenic Milkshake Programme Atomique cassette

Debut seven-track release from Lyon, France. Upbeat, driving, simplistic, RAMONES-esque rock’n’roll. Some pretty catchy songwriting here. A little digging showed that the drummer is no slouch and has one helluva RAMONES beat. Relentless! While I very much enjoy a sweeping generalization and respect the band’s somewhat shitheaded “No God, No Mastering” stance, I can’t help but think the recording would actually benefit from a final EQ-ing and some minor adjustments in the sequencing. If only there was a standard process which might take care of such issues.

The Balboas The Pandemic Singles LP

Horror-themed surf punk from Ohio that delivers dueling reverbed VENTURES-style guitars over ten songs with some notable guests like East Bay Ray, surf icon Dave Wronski, and fucking Dez Cadena (more on him in a second). The accomplished musicianship is impressive, especially on the instrumental tracks. Inventive leads intertwine through propulsive bass and drums, and although very polished, they sound gritty, inspired, and fun. The band has a very specific time-capsule niche—maybe like 1995? We have press photos of the members dressed in Tarantino-esque black suits and shades, kitschy references to Planet of the Apes, Don Ho, and Pat Boone, and that godawful cover art that recalls mid-’90s melodic hardcore. The vocal tracks adhere to this shtick and ruin the rest of the record for me. The spoken/sung lyrics come off as smarmy and goofy coffee shop poetry. Take “Karrot Water Mind Control”: “I have a scratch in my skull that never heals / I got an itch in my head I only scratch from inside / Your solution is toxic and caustic pollution,” delivered in a kind of condescending sing-song. I cringed a little hearing it. Even worse is the cover of BIG BLACK’s “Bad Penny.” Without the dripping menace of Steve Albini’s vocal approach, it comes across as a novelty cover, which is risky when you’re messing with one of punk’s sacred texts. Now back to Dez—when I saw his name, I assumed the track would highlight his broken-glass-gargling rasp, one of the most incredible voices in hardcore history, arguably the best singer of BLACK FLAG. Nope, he doesn’t sing. I guess he’s playing guitar somewhere in the background. WTF?

Böset Sista Varningen LP

Swedish mangel from the same town as legendary D-beaters SKITSYSTEM and SHITLICKERS (something must be in the water)—BÖSET carries on the tradition of fast and loud raw punk on their new LP Sista Varningen, with twelve politically-charged heaters that will leave fans of the genre with little to be desired. Opening track “Rasera Deras Borg” is a strong start, showcasing the band’s ability to touch on every hallmark of this style, including a nice shift into rock’n’roll at the one-and-a-half-minute mark, a move I’m always a sucker for. Throughout the album BÖSET does a nice job keeping things from getting stale, like on the ripped-from-’82 “Vi är Långt Förbi Sista Varningen” and the neat spoken word breakdown on “E Ni Goa i Hövvet Eller?” Lyrically, the band is pissed about shitty jobs (“Avskaffa Arbetslinjen”) and not buying into excessive consumerism (“Krossa Konsumismen”) amongst other things, and while I don’t speak or understand the language, I can pick up what they’re putting down. Overall, a solid album that keeps Gothenburg’s impressive track record intact.

Cave Sex Cave Sex 12″

CAVE SEX is from Singapore and features members of some very well-respected bands like SIAL and PROSPEXX. This time, we are treated to some outstanding post-punk. The music can be dark yet sharp and hard-hitting. They seem to play with the urgency of a straight-up fast hardcore band, while sounding more like the first couple of KILLING JOKE albums than hardcore punk. My one and only complaint about this album is that I wish it was twice as long! Wow!

Dead and Gone The Beautician LP reissue

This remastered reissue of the Bay Area quartet’s third and final album, originally released in 2002, balances mid-tempo hardcore with noise rock, covering 28 minutes across 13 tracks. The pacing shifts from quiet moments to explosive outbursts, all delivered with a quivering intensity powered by their tight rhythm section and Shane Baker’s gravelly vocals. As a precursor to contemporary bands like ILS and drawing well-earned comparisons to JESUS LIZARD and NEUROSIS, this album fucking rips. I’m bummed that I never got a chance to see them live. Highlights: “Smile” and “Rats the Size of Rats.”

Dotrash Dotrash CD

Stripped-down, raw, blisteringly fast female-fronted punk out of Japan. Sharing as much in common with X-RAY SPEX as with Seattle’s SUX, or the late CLEVELAND BOUND DEATH SENTENCE. Little glimpses of pop melody with some backing vocals and a touch of keys balance the banging guitars and thrashing drums. Lyrics are in Japanese, but it’s that kind of perfect punk production where you probably wouldn’t be able to understand the lyrics even if they were in English. Like a femme-fronted Japanese SEXY. A definite must-listen.

Drivel A Gracious Favor From Our Creator cassette

Samples! This is enough to get a powerviolence enthusiast excited! Powerviolence and samples go together like peanut butter and jelly. They are used to set an atmosphere and “say” what can’t be said in the songs. This helps to paint a visual picture, in this case, of decadence. DRIVEL is a raw powerviolence project that follows the guidebook written by NO COMMENT, adding a bit of the MAN IS THE BASTARD weirdness, with characteristic super slow and super fast dynamics. It is not overproduced, which is something that is great for old school powerviolence enjoyers, as modern bands tend to homogenize productions so it all sounds the same.

Encierro Doomsday Still Bleeds Red LP

ENCIERRO is a blackened crust band from Melbourne who recently released their first full-length, and it’s a fantastic album if you’re into things that sound like NUX VOMICA, AGE OF COLLAPSE, and perhaps especially MURDERESS. Stenchcore epicness combined with vocalist Nettlenet unleashing their ferocity really makes for a great listening experience. The over eight-minute-long song “Doomsday” might be a bit much for the pogo crowd, but is perfect for those who enjoy the riffing. Lyrically, ENCIERRO is very hardline with their stance, which I dig, and poetic in a blackened sort of way. “Alerta” is probably my favorite song off Doomsday Still Bleeds Red, with its anti-fascist lyrics and heavy tones. I’m definitely looking forward to spending some winter afternoons with this album.

Flegma Dead Angels Abyss LP

Crossover/D-beat with squeaky-clean production. This seems to be a maiden voyage for FLEGMA, who bill themselves more in a D-beat vein while covering all the metal bases you really can on this projectile. FROM ASHES RISE meets NILE? You could name the usual lineups of both genres. At times, it even comes off a bit proggy. Not sure where to start or end with this without conjuring some real bro/AMA-type shit in my head. I’m going to leave this here.

Flower Hell of the Next / Physical God 7″

FLOWER is old school. They walk the walk, and it feels good to have a band that values the proper anarcho-punk lifestyle and politics over Instagramability. Speaking of which, we should all be grateful no one has come up with a crust filter yet. That would just be the official end of punk. The first album of these New Yorkers, Hardly a Dream, took our microcosm by surprise and by storm. Was a band ever quite as bombarded with NAUSEA comparisons? Probably not, but then there are much worse bands to be compared to. Anticipation and expectations were quite high regarding the follow-up and, where most bands would have gone for a cleaner, rounder sound, which would be a logical step, a conventional progression, FLOWER decided to go crustier and rawer. That’s probably a poor career choice, but one that I salute solemnly. The basis of the music remains the same, rooted in dirty, old school metallic crust with Danny’s half-shouted, half-spoken vocals conveying a serious anarcho-punk vibe—I am reminded of NAUSEA obviously, and of ’90s crusty anarcho bands like RESIST AND EXIST or HOMOMILITIA at times, at least in terms of intent—giving FLOWER an original edge and emphasizing the political nature of their lyrics, which you can actually understand (you won’t need a Grizzli dictionary here). Musically, this is pretty much heaven for me, if angels wore crust pants. The late ANTISECT influence prevails here, and FLOWER manages to recreate that primitive, dark metal punk vibe with ease. The production is raw but still highlights the interplay of the instruments, and the music is not lacking in aggression. There is a cracking atmospheric introduction on “Physical God,” top chugging riffs, and some creepy bass lines that make me think that early EXTINCTION OF MANKIND, SKAVEN, and weed must have been involved in the creative process. The 7” has one long crust song on each side, rather traditionally, and comes in an impressive foldout cover (drawn by guitar hero Willow) displaying in great details a nightmarish and demented (post)modern war-obsessed dystopia, full of dark symbolism befitting a tortured and abused world. Both the music and the visuals complement one another, expand the meaning and contribute to telling a great punk story. A very strong and cohesive single.

Guiding Light Guiding Light cassette

First recorded outing from this new group of Austin punk provocateurs, with five tracks whipping by in a flurry of jangly hyper-strummed guitar (bordering on early WEDDING PRESENT velocity), incessantly bobbing bass, breakneck drumming, and mile-a-minute bilingual German/English femme vocals—it’s the dream world collision of BIG FLAME and HANS-A-PLAST that I never knew that I needed! I’m especially partial to ”Lost in Voices,” which careens for a minute-and-a-half like KLEENEX if they’d existed in the age of Lumpy Records, so restless and wired that it’s almost easy to overlook how intricate and complex the songwriting truly is, as well as the dusty lo-fi tumble of “Spiegelbild,” where GUIDING LIGHT ties knots in the loose threads left hanging by the two-headed dog of 2010s Lone Star art-damage excellence (VIVIENNE STYG/BLUE DOLPHIN) with the addition of some highly Neue Deutsche Welle-inspired off-kilter melodies and warbling synth. Get on it, mess(thetics) with Texas.

Hall Last Days of Youth LP

Gothic, dark garage rock by a three-piece from Berlin. Hall sounds as if BAUHAUS and the ORWELLS had a baby; they utilize a variety of tempos, mostly midrange, in combination with haunting vocals. The instrumentals didn’t “wow” me, as they mostly seemed to be in support of the vocals rather than standing on their own, and some of the songs seemed a bit repetitive in terms of melody. However, the songs overall are all very catchy and slightly off-putting, in a great way. The standout track on this album to me is “Last Days of Youth,” as it has a stronger presence than some of the other songs and delves into a slightly heavier vibe.

Illuminati Illuminati cassette

Santiago punks ILLUMINATI breathe new life into a project started back in 2001. This self-titled EP has four songs from a combination of this January’s En Vivo Sala Master EP, their 2003 demo, and one new track, “Recursos Humanos.” Inside, we find fairly aggressive hardcore with shouted/screamed vocals and riff-heavy lead guitar, with the rhythm and bass guitars chugging to keep up with drumhead-annihilating percussion. High-energy, great blistering summer music. Two EPs of new material are set to follow.

JJ and the A’s Eyeballer EP

Really blown away by this EP. High-energy garage punk that reminds me of MARKED MEN/MIND SPIDERS and all those similar Texas bands. The addition of the synth brings it to a whole other level, sounding as if DILLINGER FOUR was smashed together with QUESTION MARK AND THE MYSTERIANS. Production is super crisp and the drums sound massive but not too overpowering. Great stuff here, I’m looking forward to what they do next.

The Kulprits The Kulprits CD

Wow, on that first cut, the vocals immediately remind me of the FASTBACKS. The first track is kind of a power pop gem and just fun to listen to. It’s not crazy original, but it’s really well done and the vocals set it apart. Only four cuts, but they’re all different enough to make the record really interesting. The second cut has male vocals. Then it gets sort of country-ish. This one is really worth checking out, and I’ve got a new label if anything like this ever comes around again: power country pop punk. It’s a thing.

Møld Dajcie Mi Żyć EP

Poland’s MØLD sounds like a golem-crushing destructive machine. Most may pigeonhole them as a powerviolence or grindcore band, but there’s a unique texture in the recording, reminiscent of Peru’s DIOS HASTIO from years back. Rather clean and technical-sounding, but definitely on the hardcore punk edge of things rather than metal.

Neutrals New Town Dream LP

NEUTRALS follow up their awesome 2022 EP Bus Stop Nights with their second full-length, New Town Dream. Picking up right where that EP left off, we’re treated to thirteen tracks filled to the brim with wonderful pop tunes in the lineage of TELEVISION PERSONALITIES, classic-era Sarah Records, and early Creation Records. All that is to say, an absolute no-brainer for the mighty Slumberland Records to have put out in the US. Throughout the record, there is plenty of variety to keep your ears tuned in and the volume set high. Tracks like “Travel Agent’s Windows” and “Substitute Teacher” detail the humdrum lives of these new town inhabitants so clearly that the mundane transcends to humor—“He was a triumph in the Scottish play / He’s only here for a day.” These details throughout the album make for a truly satisfying listen that will have you returning to check in on the new town’s population again and again.

Poison Idea Feel the Darkness 2xLP reissue

POISON IDEA from Portland, Oregon are the kings of punk, and this is what many consider to be their best album. This is an all-time classic record, and when you add in that the sound on this reissue is bigger and fuller-sounding, you can’t go wrong buying this! You can hear POISON IDEA’s influence in bands like LONG KNIFE and SPAZM 151, just to name a couple that wear their POISON IDEA influence on their sleeves. The truth is that they influenced too many bands to name. POISON IDEA is equally at home playing a fast hardcore song or adding some steamroller rock to their sound. One of the best guitar sounds I have ever heard. The bonus LP includes remixes, alternate mixes, original mixes, and 7″ tracks, and it comes in a really nice gatefold jacket. This is an amazing record by an amazing band.

Positive ID Live on the 27th Hour cassette

With fourteen cuts from Canadian rockers POSITIVE ID, this thick set was originally broadcast on Montreal college radio. It’s lo-fi rock’n’roll that you can imagine blaring out of someone’s garage in the late ’70s. Fed through a noxious wall of distortion, this is first-wave punk getting the ’90s budget rock treatment to take you on a cheap, gnarly, and timelessly fun ride.

Rotura Al Otro Lado LP

The Oi! label is predisposed to a certain musical monotony, despite being formed against the status quo, which infects this LP. While melodic and political, each song on Al Otro Lado is punctuated by nothing, it all sounds the same. Listen to “Al Otro Lado,” followed by “Nadie Escucha” to understand my point. Spain-based ROTURA is idyllic in theory, with fast-paced instrumental pop energy and a powerful vocalist, Silvia, yet they fall flat in practice. The frenetic drums were enjoyable on most tracks, but it’s hard to appreciate them between the guitar’s almost-buzzing quality and the one-note vocals. I applaud the album’s production and creativity and perhaps others will enjoy it, but Al Otro Lado, translating “to the other side,” may just have to stay on that side.

Solvent Mockery of Life cassette

The debut EP from Brooklyn post-hardcore outfit SOLVENT is a captivating and visceral introduction to the band’s distinctive sound. Post-hardcore can be more of an umbrella term—in this case, as the tag may serve several distinctive bands that sometimes sound nothing alike. In this case, I am referring to them as post-hardcore in relation to bands like SACCHARINE TRUST or UNWOUND, and maybe some of the SST and Dischord titles. In under eight minutes, SOLVENT delivers three tracks that are impressively nuanced, and showcase their songwriting abilities. With its raw emotional power, technical prowess, and uncompromising vision, this release is an essential listen.

Sound of Disaster Välfärd 1984–1985 CD

The complete discography of Swedish sonic tormentors SOUND OF DISASTER. These guys ate battery acid with TOTALITÄR and shared a scene with all your favorite Swedish D-beat pioneers, with this CD being a conveyance to that crusty motherland. There isn’t much throwaway here, it’s pretty abrasive shit and does not come up for air at any point. The drumming is akin to windows smashing in time, guitars are hammered in a tuning unknown to any, and there is mayhem in each song with an earnest and cracking scream coming from a floor vent. Each ballad on this is pure and intense. Highly recommended.

Teen Cobra Buzzkill LP

This is right up my alley. It’s a husband-and-wife rock’n’roll duo on a budget, with crunchy guitars and primal drums. This formula can become one-note very quickly, but they’re able to switch up the pace very nicely, like the slow stomp of the intro to “Closer (Satan’s Watching)” and the upbeat chorus of “I Don’t Wanna Walk Alone.” I love the female backing vocals, they almost remind me of BEAT HAPPENING and they add a lot to the music. I don’t think the LP would be what it is without them, because it would be harder to ignore the fact that the singer sounds a lot like KING KHAN. They don’t reinvent the wheel, but this group is very good at taking the limited skills they have musically and just playing with as much energy as possible. Good LP, but I bet they sound even better live.

Union of a Dying Sun Union of a Dying Sun CD

Tulsa trio of crust punkers who merge sludgier forms of hardcore punk with a pinch of thrash in the mix. Tempos are mid-paced all the way with few stops, deep pinch-screaming vocals with some chorus on the back of what appears to be their first published work, and almost mirrored string sections that never stop ranting. Complex and extensive lyrics that are politically compromised and crudely felt, and that are included on their Bandcamp page, so extra points for that. Keep on!

The Vamps Used to Be Cool LP

A glaring omission in typical proto-punk conversations, the VAMPS began penning their original jams in the early ’70s and are regarded by some as “the first punk band from San Antonio, Texas.” Playing a soulful take on ’60s garage, classic R&B, and looser rock’n’roll acts of the era, the band’s music was adept but delivered with a marked irreverence for critical expectations. These early-to-the-game dudes left us with the eight smooth tracks on this archival LP collecting their four 7” releases. Fusing smoky blues (“I Need Somebody”) and CHUCK BERRY-style piano jump (“Nowhere to Go”) into their world-weary and organic rock stylings, they forged a compelling sound that has aged particularly well. Whether intentional or not, singer Frank Pugliese’s vocal intonation is strikingly Johanasen-ian, making the NEW YORK DOLLS one of the group’s most apt comparisons, though the STOOGES influence is also particularly obvious. Cementing their relevance in the history of the burgeoning punk movement, they landed a gig as the sole opener at one of the SEX PISTOLS few US gigs at San Antonio’s Randy’s Rodeo venue in 1978—the stuff of legends. Standout songs on this comprehensive compilation include the wildly catchy title track (whose sentiments are all-too-relatable for myself and most others who would be interested in this record) and the scathing cool of “What’s Your Excuse,” but every tune here is solid, and I can safely deem this an excellent and essential slab for fans of the oldies.

V/A All Hell Breaks Loose: A Tribute to the Misfits LP

This record raises the age-old question: do we really need another MISFITS tribute comp? Does that band, who long ago moved from cult favorite to Hot Topic mainstay, truly warrant more attention? I mean, we’re talking about a band whose “crimson ghost” shirt became so ubiquitous by 2010 that it threatened to undercut the value of the North American Punk Point. Well, whatever your view, it exists, so let’s deal. A lot of these songs play it straight, so if you enjoy a loving rendition of a popular standard, you will find it here. There’s an acoustic take on “Some Kind of Hate,” which will remind you, as if you needed it, just what a remarkable ear for melody these guys had. There are also some truly head-turning interpretations by the LOST LOVES and ST. DIGUE which I will not soon forget. So, like it or not, the MISFITS and their legacy will continue to lurch through the subculture like the living dead.

(+39) 375-649-94-64 My Telephone Number Demo #01 cassette

Lo-fi, garage-infused pop duo from Brescia, Italy, a self-described “hardcore techno” band. To me, the cassette is half anthemic garage punk bops and half mid-tempo dancy art-punk. However you choose to categorize them, (+39) 375-649-94-64 MY TELEPHONE NUMBER is sure to become a household name. That is, if it can be figured out exactly what the band name is. I have seen it listed by the Italian label that released it locally, Pollice Di Fuoco, as being (+39) 375-649-94-64, the release by US label Knuckles On Stun lists the band as simply MY TELEPHONE NUMBER, and the band’s official Bandcamp page has it listed as the combination of the two. Confuse me all you want, Wilson and Dany, just keep putting out these wacky, zany, catchy punk tunes!

Alex B Kurbis Never Had a Chance, Mind CD

This is punk rock with layers and textures. It reminds me of PEGBOY in that sense, though I wouldn’t say they remind of PEGBOY otherwise. It’s catchy and melodic, and each of the instruments and the vocals seem to all work together. It’s purposeful in that way. It’s a strong sound that grabs your attention. From Switzerland, if that’s the sort of thing you pay attention to.

Buio Omega I Wanna Crash My Car (On Purpose) / Highway Star cassette

This is some rockin’ hardcore here out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. My first thought was a slightly more punk version of ANNIHILATION TIME. The first song gives me that vibe, along with reminding me of SCREAMER from England. When the second and final song came on, I was surprised since it is a cover of DEEP PURPLE’s “Highway Star.” I figured there was no way this band was going to be able to pull off that guitar solo, but they really did a fine job; I was legitimately excited by how well they did it. Nice job! Two songs, they are both fun to listen to and I can’t wait to hear more.

Caveman Something’s Got to Give EP

CAVEMAN is the ideal music for any hardcore pit. It has the perfect formula for a good time pushing, shoving, or slamming: groovy, mid-tempo stompy parts that may be a direct result of having a SPY member, fast powerviolence-esque blast parts, the human equivalent of a rabid dog on vocals, and the slamming always comes full circle for a climactic resolution. These six songs are not too short and not too long, just the right length to get the blood boiling. The lyrics deal with a range of subjects, from the malaise of modern living to strawberry banana smoothies?!? Knuckle-dragging hardcore fanatics will want to add this one to the collection.

Celebrity Handshake Earth Last LP

This newest recording from Portland, Maine’s prolific skronk-blues outfit CELEBRITY HANDSHAKE is definitely an acquired taste. Imagine BIRTHDAY PARTY stripped of any sense of songwriting or musical prowess, leaving only raw, chaotic energy. Layered on top are vocals that meander between stream-of-consciousness jazz poetry and the unfiltered oddity of WESLEY WILLIS. Most people are just going to hate this, but if you appreciate the truly weird, give them a shot. Highlights for me: these songs all blur together, so feel free to dive in anywhere.

Clickbait At Your Leisure LP

At Your Leisure is the debut record from Chicago’s CLICKBAIT, a self-contained minimal DIY disco dance party to heat up even the chilliest Midwestern basement. These thirteen songs are all unwavering testaments to rhythm, propelled by roundabout, ESG-descended bass lines and four-on-the-floor, hi-hat-rattling beats, with sparse shocks of single-note guitar dropping in judiciously alongside equally concise lyrical missives from vocalist Sandra, whose matter-of-fact deadpan delivery periodically slips into more animated shrieks. The neo-no-wave needling of “Audacity” leaves plenty of negative space for posing rhetorical questions (“What do I want? / Do I need it?”), while the GAUCHE-like “So-So” digs deep into a perpetual motion groove as Sandra’s coolly detached speak-sing gets increasingly intense, ultimately breaking into a pointed, impassioned wail (“Being a woman is not a competition / That I want to play in”). The dry, frills-free recording imparts the LP with a certain out-of-time feeling, like listening to a years-weathered cassette capture of a clandestine PYLON rehearsal in the studio art building of a state college circa 1980—there’s a scribbled precariousness and sense of spontaneity in CLICKBAIT’s wound-up sound that’s particularly refreshing in a modern world of BODEGAs and GUSTAFs sanitizing this sort of funky art-punk for IPA-drinkers at gentrifying rock clubs; bless them for that.

Deef Real Control LP

Real Control is DEEF’s second individual release, originally put out on tape in 1984. They started as teenagers, a time when within a short period, significant changes can happen within your taste of music. Luckily, they did not approach songwriting drastically differently. It is still aggressive, exciting punk, in its most raw and primitive way without being overly noisy or filthy. Again, it’s speed that introduces most of the vehemence, but intensity is present in slower jams such as “We Kill All Punk Rock Heroes.” The same info sheet that is included for the Nou reissue is also present here, mentioning DEEF’s isolation. Sonically, this makes them rootless in the sense that it’s so visceral that sometimes it sounds as if they have only read about hardcore punk and tried to reproduce it from imagination, not that it is so out-of-place or sort of avant garde, and it’s rarely reusing lifted gimmicks from other classic records. This is why these reissues are relevant and still sound fresh, because the music on them, even if heard many times, remains new because teenagers made it without having a clue or caring too much about whatever things current bands consider when playing music. The bass sound is more meaty; the distortion has been turned up on the guitars yet they are at the back of the mix, so you have to pay attention to get the real noise-punk element. I like the mid-tempo evil songs and the overdriven vocals, but it is still very rock’n’roll. It’s not only an interesting artifact from an old scene, but this record would be a hit even today. The goal of today’s bands would be to make something this fresh after having heard this record, too. The LP includes an info sheet, a photo booklet of the era, a postcard, and a sticker. One of the great second acts of hardcore punk is the possibility that decades after your existence, maniacs like General Speech could re-release your stuff.